As wireless local area network (WLAN) and WiFi technologies evolve, the demand increases to support a higher capacity (e.g., more users) while maintaining throughput and quality of service (QoS). Additionally, as the number of users and user terminals increases the hostility of the transmission environment may also increase, which may result in more interference, spectral inefficiencies, and lower data throughput for individual users. For example, in a multi-user broadband wireless (e.g., WiFi) environment (e.g., a business center, an office, a hotel, a hospital, etc.), each user may act as a source of noise (e.g., interference) for other users in a conventional WLAN comprising an omnidirectional antenna system. In such an example, data throughput for each user may be reduced because of interference effect. Additionally, due to spectral inefficiencies and bandwidth limitations the data throughput for each user may be further reduced.
Conventional WLAN devices, systems, and methods may employ a beamforming antenna system to improve the efficiency (e.g., spectral efficiency, data throughput, etc.) of the system and to alleviate the hostility of the transmission environment. For example, a beamforming antenna system may be employed to direct and/or to focus an antenna radio frequency (RF) pattern towards one or more specific users. Conventional beamforming approaches are often complex, large, and inefficient in most indoor environments. For example, conventional WLAN devices, system, and methods comprising a beamforming antenna system may require designing directive antenna elements and/or comprise one or more active circuits (e.g., amplifiers, phase shifting circuits, etc.). As such, devices, systems, and methods for more efficiently providing the ability to adjust and/or to steer an antenna RF pattern towards one or more target users are needed.
Further, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas and related signal processing have become important technologies in increasing data rates in indoor wireless systems. In future systems it may be useful to be able to quickly and efficiently switch between MIMO antennas and beamforming antennas to be able to adapt to changing channel conditions and interference patterns. There is thus a need for an antenna platform for providing the benefits of both MIMO antennas and beamforming antennas.